Power surge working well for Brewers
CHICAGO - The Milwaukee Brewers return to Miller Park swinging some serious lumber.
With Travis Shaw and Jett Bandy the latest to go deep in a 7-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Wednesday, the Brewers lead the major leagues by a decent margin with 29 home runs.
First baseman Eric Thames has been the big story so far on the young season, and even though he hasn't homered in two straight games he's still tied for the major-league lead with seven. Ryan Braun has five homers and Shaw, the new third baseman, is doing his part with homers in two straight games and four overall.
Others such as Domingo Santana, Jonathan Villar and Hernán Pérez are capable of going deep double-digit times over the course of a season but haven't quite gotten going yet.
Could this rebuilding team be among the top power teams in baseball when all is said and done in 2017?
"I don’t know," manager Craig Counsell said. "It’s two weeks into the season so I haven’t thought twice about that. You just put some good swings on the ball, and right now it’s going out of the park. I don’t have any idea if it’s going to continue. You hope it does, obviously.
"We’re going to be a high-strikeout team and I think we’re going to hit some home runs. But that’s offense. That’s runs. The No. 1 thing is putting runs on the board – however we do that, I’m happy with."
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Shaw, acquired in the off-season from the Boston Red Sox with the hope he could balance out a right-handed-heavy lineup with his left-handed power bat, so far has done what the Brewers were hoping. Of his 14 hits, 12 have gone for extra bases – seven doubles, a triple and four homers, all contributing to a .237 average and .890 OPS.
"I can’t explain that," said the 27-year-old of his high percentage of extra-base hits. Last year in Boston he hit .242 with 16 homers and 71 RBI with a .726 OPS in 145 games.
"I mean, I would like my average to be a little higher, but for where it is and the damage I have done with that average, I can’t complain so far. I’m always working to get better and hopefully build off this series when I get home."
Before the series opened, Shaw was openly excited about playing at Wrigley Field for the first time, and he took full advantage with his two homers in three games. He's also already grown fond of Miller Park, a place where the ball also flies.
He's keeping an open mind about what the future could hold for both him and his teammates with regard to the long ball.
"This is my first time in this division, and from what I’ve been told, most of the parks are pretty hitter-friendly," said Shaw, who's hitting .368 with six extra-base hits, six RBI and a 1.242 OPS against left-handed pitching so far – a previous weakness that cost him playing time down the stretch last year with the Red Sox.
"Once the weather warms up, you would think that it would continue a little bit. Some guys are on stretches right now that I don’t think are sustainable for the whole year, but, again, you never know".
In addition to the homers, Milwaukee finished Wednesday's game also leading the majors in doubles (34), extra-base hits (66), slugging percentage (.471) and total bases (254), and ranked third in OPS (.810).
The Brewers had also homered in 11 straight games and hit at least two homers in five straight for the first time since last Sept. 4-8.